Running A Theatre Company Virtually

​This past year has been a whirlwind to say the least, but theatre across the world has adapted to the circumstances. Here at HOOLIGAN, our wonderful Executive department has been hard at work for the past year in order to provide opportunities for us Hooligans, no matter where we are, to still do what makes us happy. So today we'll be hearing about how Peyton Lumley (a 4th Year, studying Communication ​Studies and Entrepreneurship & Film, Television, and Digital Media) and Dana Tankenbaum (a 4th Year Global Studies major), our amazing Exec members, have adapted this past year to leading our theatre company.

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How have your responsibilities changed to adjust to the online format?

I have never produced an in person show with HOOLIGAN, so I never knew a "normal" set of responsibilities. Currently, my duties are, as far as I can deduce from knowing past exec members and Peyton, relatively similar except instead of meeting in person with staff members, creative teams, casts, and crews, we all meet on Zoom. In terms of producing shows, our "venue staff" has become our amazing video editors and the venues are a streaming platform called ShowTix4U and Zoom!
​-Dana

​In some ways our responsibilities have remained the same and in others they’ve done a complete 180. A lot of what we do in relation to the other members of our production (cast, crew, and creative) is similar to what we would be doing in person but just using more virtual tools. The majority of the difference lies in a lot of the processes regarding online and virtual venues as opposed to in person ones.
​-Peyton

Have there been any advantages to producing shows virtually?

​There have been some unexpected advantages! More flexibility with time is nice, but I would say the biggest one is probably venues. Finding and paying for venues on campus is usually the most difficult part of the producing process for us as a student group and the virtual setting relieves some of the stress.
​-Peyton

I have really cut down on travel time. Instead of walking to campus, I just walk to my desk! I never forget to bring anything with me because I am in my own home, which has helped tremendously so I can always have notes, librettos, or other necessary items with me, and I have the comfort and ease of being in a location that I am so familiar with. (I also don't have to use public bathrooms, woo!)
​-Dana

What’s been the most rewarding part?

The most rewarding part of producing this year is truly watching people collaborate and seeing how excited they are to put on the shows that they are a part of. This position more than anything is working with people, and seeing them find joy in coming to rehearsals or production meetings, especially when they have already spent hours on Zoom in class or at work, has made my heart feel so full.
​-Dana

The most rewarding part of producing for me is always seeing the shows come together and seeing the people we brought together and the amazing show they’ve created. We’re still looking forward to actually seeing the shows, but we just read one of our director’s notes for the program and it brought us to tears and it’s moments like that that make everything worth it.
​-Peyton
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What do you hope the company will take away from this experience?

I hope that the company will take away that HOOLIGAN has the ability to be innovative and think out of the box, and that even in unideal situations - even in a global pandemic - we can join together to create some beautiful art.
​-Peyton
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I hope HOOLIGAN remembers how creative its members can be. An essential quality of theatre is the live audience in a group setting all experiencing the same thing at the same time. our company's members have achieved the incredible feat of reimagining this quality for a virtual setting, and I hope this company carries this creativity into the future.
​-Dana
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What do you most look forward to for when theatre is able to go back to normal?

HUGS! I used to hug as many people as I could right before a performance for good luck, and that is something that is nearly impossible to replicate online. Once this is all over, it's bear hugs for anyone and everyone.
​-Dana
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​Oh so many things, wow. I look forward to high fiving everyone backstage, hugging friends, feeling the tangible love and excitement in the air, pre show rituals, laughing and crying in the audience, and so many more things I’m sure I don’t even realize I miss.
​-Peyton​